


I Owe the Little Open Gate

by antimonyandthyme



Category: Naruto
Genre: Canon Compliant, M/M, naruto is worried, sasuke is stubborn, what is new
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-18 19:00:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28622952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/antimonyandthyme/pseuds/antimonyandthyme
Summary: “You want my report now?”“No,” Naruto says flatly. “Are you alright?”“Mild headache,” Sasuke lies through his teeth.“A headache?” Kurotsuchi says, sounding faintly incredulous. As if Uchihas don’t get headaches or something.“Yes,” Sasuke says dryly. “They're quite commonplace, actually. If you want my headaches to cease, you Kages should put out a ruling for people to stop stirring shit.”
Relationships: Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 13
Kudos: 143





	I Owe the Little Open Gate

His head hurts. He can’t remember the last time he suffered a blow to the head, most of his enemies are disposed of easily enough. But Otsutsuki’s minions have proven themselves capable of pressing him in a fight. Sasuke closes his eyes, curses his own carelessness; outside, Naruto’s cheerful greetings, the easy murmur of the Kages, the scraping of chairs against the wood flooring. He decides not to keep them waiting. A headache is bearable, even in a summit that will inevitably drag on past noon.

They quiet a little at his presence. He knows they trust him, even if all he represents is the shadow of the Leaf. He’s been welcomed with hospitality in Lightning, even with his past transgressions against their Jinchuriki. Gaara’s requested his tutelage for Shinki, Chojuro smiles politely at him with his shark-like teeth, and Kurotsuchi smirks and offers to spar. But there is a weight to their consideration. The scales will always find him wanting, and Naruto, with all his kindness and generosity, has chosen to balance him out. 

So Sasuke takes his place behind the Hokage. And the meeting begins. 

“There’s sightings of them in the Land of Rice Fields,” Chojuro circles several spots on the map. “Who knows how far they’ve already infiltrated into the villages.”

“Sasuke’s been following their movement east,” Naruto taps out an impatient rhythm on the table. Using his fourth finger, Sasuke surmises, which is slightly more calloused than the others due to the way he holds his kunai, and thus provides a thicker sound. Maybe it’s strange; he can barely follow the meeting but can deduce the exact finger Naruto’s using to—

“Sasuke?” Naruto’s frowning. 

Sasuke blinks. What were they just talking about? Bandits, aggrieved survivors, Otsutsuki followers—all one and the same. War-mongers who threaten Naruto’s peace and must be stopped. “You want my report now?”

“No,” Naruto says flatly. “Are you alright?”

“Mild headache,” Sasuke lies through his teeth.

“A headache?” Kurotsuchi says, sounding faintly incredulous. As if Uchihas don’t get headaches or something. 

“Yes,” Sasuke says dryly. “They're quite commonplace, actually. If you want my headaches to cease, you Kages should put out a ruling for people to stop stirring shit.”

They're all staring at him now. Apparently headaches make him rude as well. “We’ll consider that,” Gaara says, bemused. “Uchiha Sasuke, are you sure you’re—”

Sasuke takes a step forward, just to prove how _fine_ he is, and sways unsteadily and has to reach out for the chair for support. Naruto’s hands are around him in an instant.

“You’re not fine,” he grits out, face an inch from Sasuke’s. At this distance, Sasuke can practically feel the indent of Naruto’s whiskers on his skin, can feel the heat emanating from him. “You’re unwell.”

“Not unwell,” Darui says carefully. He gestures to the side of Sasuke’s head. “He’s hurt.”

Naruto’s expression morphs quickly, realization then anger then a fierce sort of protectiveness, and his grip around Sasuke turns punishing. _“Hurt from what?”_

Sasuke grunts, relents. “Otsutsuki.”

“This wasn’t in your report.”

“Because it didn’t need to be. I'm fine.”

The Kages at the table are silent, though they somehow manage to convey how ridiculous they believe the statement to be through utter silence. Sasuke pinches the bridge of his nose, breathing in deep. 

“One of them managed a glancing strike to my head,” he admits finally, because Naruto looks as if Kurama might pop out and say hi at any instant. “A new jutsu of some kind. I'm looking into it.”

“Excuse us one second,” Naruto intones to the rest of the room. He grabs Sasuke, and half-carries half-drags him out. The door swings close dangerously fast as Naruto blows by with a vengeance, and Sasuke just manages to make out Kurotsuchi going, _Oh boy, Uchiha’s in trouble_ , and the rest of them humming in complete agreement— 

Naruto practically throws him into his office, dumping him furiously on the couch. “Stay there,” he bites out. And goes to pour a glass of water for him. That which he slams down heavily on the side table. 

“You idiot.”

It’s reflex to answer. “Dobe.”

“Asshole.”

“You’re yelling at me and making my headache worse,” Sasuke says, letting a hint of petulance bleed into his tone. 

Naruto gapes at him. “So now it’s my fault.”

“Yes,” Sasuke says. Then quickly amends, because Naruto’s guilt complex might choose to take centre stage, _I shouldn’t have sent you alone, I shouldn’t have made you shoulder this, I shouldn’t have trapped you here_ — “No. Never. It’s not your fault. I should have told you. I shouldn’t have gone to the meeting.”

Naruto nods stiffly, and Sasuke can see him reigning in every emotion writ clearly on his face. How does he feel so much, how does he feel so much for one such as him— 

“You don’t have to destroy yourself to redeem yourself,” Naruto says quietly. 

Sasuke shudders, stays silent. 

“You’ve already,” he stops. Naruto is a god’s equivalent, unrivalled, unmatched in his strength, but it’s his words that wield the most power. His words that unite nations and inspire hope and forgive sinners. “You’ve already paid it in full. This debt you think you carry. The world doesn’t have the right to ask anything more of you.”

“You do,” Sasuke says, throat dry, eyes annoyingly wet. “You have the right.”

“I’m asking you to rest.” Naruto leans in, wraps both hands around his face. Sasuke's skin welcomes his touch. His headache seems to recede to a dull pound. Is Naruto capable of that now? “That’s all I’m asking. Rest. For me.”

Sasuke exhales. They’re so close. His chest aches with want, but he settles for acquiescence. “Alright.”

“And if I come back and you’re not drooling on this couch, I’m setting Kurama on you.”

“I don’t drool,” Sasuke shoots back, because he can’t ever _not_ with Naruto. “And you’re getting lazy, aren’t you, you get Kurama to do everything now. Even win your fights with me.”

“See if I can’t kick your ass without him,” Naruto smirks. “Now go to sleep. Please. I got this meeting covered. I’m a capable adult now you know.”

Sasuke snorts, but he doesn’t disagree. Naruto flicks the lights off. He stops at the door, turns back almost as if to reassure himself that Sasuke's still there. 

“Come back to me when you can,” he says, painfully soft. The light from the hallway frames him lovingly. Like a plant searching out the sun, Sasuke wants to reach out for him.

Sasuke slides his eyes shut instead. “Always,” he says.

**Author's Note:**

> Will I ever get over these two?
> 
> (The answer: Never)
> 
> Title from _Debt_ by Sara Teasdale.


End file.
